Metal car diaphragm and faceplate safety guard



J. J. TATUM.

METAL GAR DIAPHRAGM AND FACEPLATE SAFETY GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27,1920.

Patent-ed Oct. 10, 1922.

w vtnaooeo Patented that, lltl, llflEZu i JQI-IN J. rarer/r, oranrrrvroan, MARYLAND.

METAL GAR DIAPHRAGM AND FAGEPLATE SAFETY GUARD.

App1ication filed January 27,1920. Serial No. 354,474.

i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Lslonrr JQTATUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improve- *ments in Metal Car Diaphragms and FaceplateSafety Guards, of which the following is a specification.

In all first class equipment of railroad cars for passenger service,when operating in Y trains of a plurality of cars, it is customary toenclose the communicating passages between the cars in order thatpassengers may be safeguarded from falling from the platforms or betweenthe cars and also be protected from inclement weather; It is'necessarythat the enclosing means he made adjustable to provide forall'servicemovements between two cars including the angular dis- 1 placement due tocarsrounding curves, es pecially the sharp curves at terminals; it isalso necessary that the covering be extensible and contractible toconform tothe compression of extension of the usual spring connectedcoupling attachments of the car.

In practice it has been found that the diaphragm face plates of twoadjacent diaphragms move transversely relatively to each other to suchan extent that there is an unprotectedspace or openingbetween theirverticalside edges, through which the arm or other portion of thepassengefis body may be projected if a passenger happens to lose hisbalance, due to the lurching of the cars,

on curves as he is passing through the passageway' between two cars.Accidents of this character have happened which resulted in cripplingthe passenger andin damage suits against the railroad. company.

to One of the objects of my invention is to a provide a faceplate safetyguard of such character that it may be applied to the pre ent equipmentnow in use and save the enormous expense of replacement and loss of theat present equipment. i

A further object of my invention to provide a metallic car diaphragmwhich is practical] y indestructible, which, although made ofcomparatively unyielding material, pro

to rides efficiently for all movement of parts to permit of all servicemovements around curves and the coupler movements; and with these andother objects in view my invention consists of the parts and combinationof th parts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawing:

F'gure 1 is a horizontal section of a car and its diaphragm on a planeabove the floor of the car.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the faceplate safety guard.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view, in section, of the vestibuleplatform post, face plate, face plate safety guard and diaphragm.

Figure 4t is an embodiment of my improved face plate safety guardapplied to the face plate of the fabric diaphragm now in use on manycars.

.Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of another embodiment of myinvention.

The reference numeral 1 designates a car of any desired construction,provided with the vestibule platform posts 2,.and 3, and with the usualbuffer plate 1 connected to any suitable buffer, not shown. plates 5 aresecured to the buffer plate and extend upwardly therefrom and are of thusual construction. I

A housing 6, substantially U shaped, in cross section is provided withflanges 7 and 8, the flange 8 being secured, by rivets, 9 or the like,to the'vestibule platform posts. This housing is constructed to receivethe diaphragm rocker and slip plate 10, the in ner edge of which is bentwith a return bend which assures the centering of the diaphragm in thehousing and an efiicient rocking and slip joint between the housing and,diaphragm. The outer edge of the diaphragm rocker and slip plate 10 isformed with an open return bend or hook 11.

The face plate is provided With my improved safety guard 12 and securedthereto by means of rivets, 13, or the like. This safety guard 12 isprovided with a return l'ent open hook 14 which is adapted. to

loosely engage the hook 11 of the diaphragm 10 and has slip and rockermovement therewith. whereby the diaphragm may adapt itself to allservice movements of the car without imposing a strain upon its asso-.ciated parts. i

The faceplate safety guard 12 extends a material distance beyond theouter vertical edge of the face plate, as indicated at 15 and terminatesin a rearwardly extend- The face ing flange 16. The flange 16 is notvitally essential to the eflective operation of my guard, but byemploying it I am enabled to use metal of a lighter gage, as the l'langeit) acts as a rigidifying member for the light gage metal, and 1 amthereby enabled to materially reduce the weight of the car. In using amuch heavier gage of metal the guard would be a flat plate as shown at15 in Figure 5.

In the bulling and draft movements between two adjacent cars thediaphragi rocker and slide plate 10 moves backward and forward in thehousing {5 as will be readily understood from the drawin; i;, and theloose hook engagement between the diaphragm rocker and slide plate andthe face plate safety guard will accommoijlate all angular servicemmements between adjacent ends of two coupled cars.

Many curves, especially those at terminals, on railroads are Very abruptor sharp and on such curves the angular movements be tween the ends ofadjacent cars is considerable, in fact it is so great that the faceplates 5 move transversely a comparatively wide distance apart therebyleaving; unobstructed open spaces between them as diagrammati callyshown in Figure 2, and if passengers are passing through the vestibuleat such a time and the cars lurch the passenger is likely to be thrownto one side and his arm or other part of his body projected through theopening between the edges of the face plates, and if the face platesquickly return to their normal position before the passenger can extracthimself he will be caught between the edges of the face plate andinjured or killed. Such accidents are happening and result in damagesuits against the railroads, all of which is eliminated by the fact thatmy improved safe ty guard projects beyond the outer edge of thefaceplate 5 and in, or substantially in the same plane as the rubbingface of the face plate.

The portion 15 of the safety guard projects from the outer edge of theface plate a distance equal to "the ascertained abnormal angularmovement of the car under all service conditions, hence, there is never,at any time, an o 3911. space between the edges of two adjacent faceplates.

If it is desired to use the face plates of the fabric diaphragms in usewith my improved safety guard, it is not necessary to have the hook 1&1;as the guard 1;? shown in Figures 4L and 5 may be riveted to the faceplate. By this means it is not necessary to throw away the manythousani'ls of vestibule face plates now in use in order to provide aguard between. them andthe safety guard embodying my invention may bemade of com nirutirely ligrht rage metal. thus. in applying my gruardsdie weight of the car is not appreciably increased.

The gruard is oll'set at 18 so that lhc inner portion may be riveted tothe rear face of the face plates 5, while the portion l5 may be in thesame plane the rubbing face of the plate 5.

Changes may be made within the scope of my claims in the details ofconstriiction.

What I. claim is:

l. In a vestibule for cars. a face plate, a sheet metal strip secured tothe face plate and projecting beyond the outer ediyc of the face plateand functioning as a safety guard, an upset rigidifying member on theouter edge of the metal strip.

2. In a vestibule for cars. a. 'l'aJe plate, a sheet m tal strip securedto the face plate and projecting beyond the outer edge of the face plateand f1mctioning as a safety guard, and a flange formed on the outer edre of the metal strip.

3. in a vestibule for cars, a face plate, and a safety guard secured tothe face plate with one side portion thereof extending beyond the outeredge of the face plate. and a hinge member formed on the other sideportion of said guard.

in a vestibule for cars, a face plate, a sheet metal strip secured tothe face plate and projecting beyond the outer edge of the face plateand functioning as a safety guard, and a hinge member formed at theinner edge portion of the metal strip.

5. In a vestibule for cars, a face plate. a sheet metal strip secured tothe inner face oi the face plate and projmlinp nuiterially beyond theouter edge of the face plate and functioning as a safety guard, arigidifying llan g'e on the outer edge of the metal strip, and a returnbend formed on the inner edge of said metal strip and 'lunclioning as ahinge member, a diaphragm rocker plate hinged to the hinge member ofsaid metal strip, and a pocket for the diaphragm rocker, within whichthe rocker is free to rock and telescope.

(5. In a vestibule for cars, a face plate, a metal plate secured to andprojecting materially beyond the outer edge of the face plate, andfunctioning as a. safety guard. and a diaphragm extending from the inneredge portion. of said metal plate and solely carried thereby, andadapted to telescope in a pocket on an adjacent car.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

JOHN J. TATUM

